Double Negative
by Slight Imperfections
Summary: AU SanoMeg The rooster-head saves the fox one night, and now they can't seem to stop running into each other. However they're going to find that they need each other as a figure from Megumi's past comes back for revenge.
1. ONE Rooster meets Fox

Hi all! I'm gonna be working on this as well as my other fic. I'm trying to think of stuff for the next chapters, so I can get to the real plot soon, so here's a new Sano/Megumi fic for you to enjoy! They might be slightly OOC, and I tweaked their pasts to fit a modern setting (yup, another AU! I might do a non-AU one-shot soon, though...). The tweaked pasts won't come in for another coouple of chapters though.   
  
Uh... I think that's all... Please enjoy!  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Double Negative  
  
Chapter One: Rooster meets Fox  
  
Everyone always says that two wrongs don't make a right. However it has always been accepted that two negatives make a positive. Whether you mean in math or in grammar, it's true. Conversely, people always say that opposites attract. In real life you do see two people of completely opposite personalities getting along just fine, and in science you certainly can't stick two north sides of a magnet together properly. But this story isn't about two people like that. Instead, let us all watch as these two negatives together make a positive.  
  
^..^ + ' v '  
  
Megumi sighed happily as she left the small downtown studio. She had just gotten a new modeling job for a new fashion designer, AND she didn't have to go to her part-time job at a restaurant that night. Glancing at her watch, which read 11:46 PM, she laughed her signature laugh, a mischievous gleam in her cinnamon-colored eyes as she flicked a strand of her long black hair over her shoulder. 'Ha! That little witch Reiko must hate me for switching shifts behind her back! Let's see how that princess handles the Saturday night weirdos we get.' Anyone who walked past would have sworn that the 22-year old woman had fox ears popping out of her head at the moment as she laughed again. Idly swinging her purse, and looking up at the black night sky, Takani Megumi fely happier than she had in weeks. With the new job her modeling agency had found her, she would finally have enough money to pay the month's rent on her tiny apartment, and have enough to get groceries to last for a while. Of course we all know that such happiness really never lasts for long, and so Megumi found out as she walked past one of the street's dark alleys.  
  
Before she knew it, four large men had stepped out of the alley and surrounded her, demanding that she hand over her money. Megumi stopped short, her surprise overpowering her terror at the moment. She'd heard that people had been getting mugged in this area lately, but had never thought that such a thing would happen to her, of all people! 'Come on girl, you're smarter than these ...these.. common street thugs! Figure a way out of this!', the fox-woman thought, trying not to panic. Megumi reflexively took a step back as one of the men pulled out a knife, and repeated his demand. 'Okay. Not good. When in doubt, scream or kick them in the shins.' As she doubted anyone was around to hear her, Megumi opted for the latter.  
  
Acting before she could chicken out, Megumi lunged for the man on her left, and simultaneously kicked him in the shins and hit him over the head with her purse. Taking advantage of his and his comrades' surprise - they certainly hadn't expected this delicate-looking young woman to fight back !- she sprinted across the deserted city street.  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
While Megumi had been leaving the modeling agency's studio, another person was ambling down the same sidewalk, walking casually in and out of the streetlights' glare. This, however, was a young man known to his friends as Sagara Sanosuke, or just Sano for short. An early autumn breeze failed to ruffle his brown spiky hair, which had enough gel on it to wax a floor. Although just why anyone would want to wax a floor with hair gel is beyond me. A red bandana further helped his hair in defying the laws of gravity. Sano walked with his hands in his pockets and was chewing on a fishbone, as he reflected gleefully upon the evening's events. 'Heh! Those guys at the gambling joint didn't expect to lose all of their money to ME tonight! Of course I do usually lose, but STILL! This has got to be one of the luckiest nights of my life!' A cocky grin pasted on his face matched the satisfied look in his brown eyes.  
  
Whistling jauntily, his reflections were interrupted by a woman's angry shriek from up ahead. 'Kuso, what was that?!', he broke into a run, and stopped at the sight that met his eyes. A bunch of men had a young woman - a really hot young woman, he couldn't help noticing - corned by a building. She shrieked again, this time in pain, as one grabbed her left arm and twisted it behind her back, as another took the purse she was carrying from her right.  
  
"Hey! Let her go!", he shouted angrily running towards them. One mugger, carrying a knife, cursed when he saw Sano. "Kuso! Let's get out of here guys, it's Zanza!", he hissed at the others, backing away. Sano blinked mentally. Had he beaten up these men before? Not that he could recall, but, hey, he was known for his fighting, not his memory!  
  
"What about the girl?", the thug holding Megumi asked, momentarily loosening his hold. The fox-woman took this chance to wrench her arm out of his hold, and grab her purse from the distracted man holding it. She ran out of their reach, but stopped to watch as her rescuer took this as his cue to 'step in'.  
  
It only took a few punches at barely half strength to knock them out. "Feh. Weak.." Sano remarked to himself.  
  
The woman he'd saved stepped daintily over one of the fallen muggers, and extended her hand. "I must thank you for your assistance." she said in a lofty voice.  
  
"Uh, you're welcome.", he answered, shaking her hand much more gently than he usually would have; she looked as if her graceful hand might break if he squeezed it too hard. He was only mildly put off at the speedy rate by which she had recovered from the mugging. "Name's Sanosuke, Sagara Sanosuke.", Sano said.  
  
"It's nice to meet you Sagara-san, I'm Takani Megumi, of the modeling agency up the street.", she half turned to wave in it's general direction, fox ears once again appearing as she waited experimentally for his response  
  
"A model, eh?", he asked, automatically looking her up and down, "No wonder you look so-", Sano stopped as she casually turned and walked away. 'Nani? What's the kitsune walking away for? I mean, kami-sama, she didn't even slap me for that...like most girls do... Not that I mind...oh screw it...'  
  
"Darn. I had hoped that you were more of gentleman than you look. Nevertheless, once again, thank you for...removing...those thugs." Megumi glanced disdainfully down at them. "Now if you will excuse me, toori-atama, I have to be heading home."  
  
"Hold on!", he cried before she could walk too far away, ignoring the 'toori-atama'. (It wasn't like everyone didn't call him that.) "Can I at least give you my number, in case.. uh.. you ever need help or something?" 'Oh real smooth, Sagara!', he mentally scolded himself.  
  
Megumi stared at him. First he comes out of nowhere and saves her, then he acts like any old regular perverted guy, and now he's trying to hit on her? This was getting interesting. "Fine." she answered, rummaging around in her purse for her address book and a pen. Even though she really wasn't going to call him, she told herself, the fox-woman wrote his telephone number down beneath her modeling agent's number.  
  
"Oh, and if someone else answers- that is, if you ever call- it's just my friend Katsu. We share our apartment.", Sano told her, as she turned to leave again. She turned her head to look at him, eyebrows raised at his last statement. Sano suddenly turned red as he realized what that must have sounded like. "Che! No! I mean, uh... oh kuso! Not like THAT!"  
  
The woman couldn't resist smirking slightly. "All right then Sagara-san, Oyasumi nasai.", Megumi started to walk away.  
  
"Just Sano's fine!", he yelled at the woman's retreating back. She didn't answer, but raised one elegant hand to show that she'd heard. 'Oyasumi...Megitsune.' Grinning at his nickname for her, Sano once again resumed chewing on his fishbone, and slipped his hands into his pockets as he began to head towards his home too. As he walked away, the symbol for evil on his jacket followed him all the way to his apartment.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Fwee! First chapter! I have the second written already though... ^_^   
  
Next chapter:  
  
Double Negative- Chapter Two: Fate giveth and taketh away.  
  
-In which Katsu is introduced, and Sano gets a job at the Akabeko - and guess who has a part-time job there!  
  
REVIEW PLEASE! But no flames! I break out in a bad case of third degree mental burns whenever I get them... ^^" 


	2. TWO Fate Giveth and Taketh Away

I'M BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER! um. or not. Haha! Told ya I had the second chapter written already!!  
  
Waaaiiit.... I never put the disclaimer in my first chapter! Or in my other story at all! OOPS! Oh well.  
  
Please enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing excpet the plot and a minor OC, who will only show up a few times, so don't worry...  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Double Negative  
  
Chapter One: Fate Giveth and Taketh Away  
  
Sano woke up just before noon like he always did, and stretched uncomfortably, still tired. His peaceful sleep had been disrupted by several disturbing dreams of his childhood that he didn't care to remember, dreams that were way too familiar. However this time there was a new face among all of the ones that he remembered - the young woman from the previous night. His view of the apartment's ceiling was suddenly obstructed by a face, his friend, journalist, aspiring artist, and roommate, Tsukioka Katsuhiro, better known as Katsu.  
  
Katsu nudged his friend with his foot. "Oi. Bum. Get up. Where's that money you promised me last night?"  
  
The rooster-headed one groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. "Che. I hoped you'd forget!"  
  
"Fat chance toori-atama. So were you lying about your luck last night (like usual) or what?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I got it...Jerk...", the last word was grumbled, not that Sano cared if Katsu heard or not. He picked up his jacket and started rummaging around in one of the pockets for his wallet, but encountered only some lint and a large hole. Cursing worriedly to himself, he tried the other pocket. Predictably, the money wasn't there. "Oh, kuso! Uh... Katsu... would you be willing to believe that I lost it?"  
  
"Just like your mind...", Katsu rolled his eyes. "Well if the supposed money seems to have been 'lost' (although I think it never really existed in the first place, ne Sano?) SOMEONE is going to get a job, to help ME pay for the rent, like the aforementioned SOMEONE has supposed to have been doing for the past few YEARS!"  
  
(" 'Aforementioned'? Uh...use a couple less syllables next time, man.") "Aw, Katsu, anything but that!", Sano whined.   
  
His friend only grinned evilly. "And I saw the perfect one in the 'Help wanted' section of the newspaper today..."  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
Takani Megumi was not in the best of moods. Her brief state of happiness the previous night had disappeared as soon as she walked into work a few hours before. Her co-worker Reiko seemed to be trying to make her life as miserable as possible for switching her to the Saturday night shift. So far she had messed up three of the fox woman's orders, stolen seven of her tips, and had tried to dump a cup of lukewarm tea on her head. Thankfully Sanzo Tsubame, the young cousin of the restaurant's owner, Sekihara Tae, had thwarted this plot, going against her usually shy nature.  
  
Megumi heard the decorative bells on the door chime annoyingly as someone walked into the restaurant, the Akabeko. 'Stupid bells... I oughta shove them down Reiko's throat and then drop her off the Tokyo Tower...' Suddenly shocked at her uncharacteristically violent thoughts, Megumi hurried to greet the newcomers.  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
  
  
Sano grumbled to himself as Katsu shot him a glare, promised terrible consequences if the rooster-haired young man did not walk into the Akabeko. "I don't wanna be a frickin' WAITER!", he mumbled as he opened the door, and entered the traditional Japanese restaurant.   
  
He sulked by the door as Katsu came in, and a familiar voice said with well-hidden exasperation, "Konnichiwa! Welcome to the Akabeko!"  
  
"Hi, my friend was wondering if he could apply for a jo-", this was as far as Katsu got, before Sanosuke stood up straight, and pushed him out of the way.  
  
"It IS you!', he cried when he saw Megumi standing there, wearing a rather bemused expression.  
  
She collected herself quickly. "Ah yes, Sagara-san, was it?"  
  
"Yeah that's me. Just Sanosuke's fine. Or Sano, if ya want. Anyway, like Katsu here was sayin', I was wondering if I could apply for a job here...?"  
  
Both Katsu and Megumi were equally surprised. Katsu because a mere minute ago, the rooster had been loudly complaining about getting a job at the Akabeko, Megumi because she had never expected to see him again, much less at her job, asking for work!   
  
The fox-woman blinked for a moment. "I'll have to ask Tae, my boss... If you could follow me..."  
  
Sano followed her obediently, thinking once again that he was the luckiest guy in the world. First he stays out to go gambling, stays out later since he's winning, as a result ends up rescuing a really hot woman, loses the money he won, and gets to see said hot woman again, and maybe end up working with her! What wasn't to like?  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
Okay. This wasn't exactly what he was expecting. Sano was glad that he'd gotten the job (rather easily, one might add, as he was hired as soon as Tae heard he was applying, they were that desperate for help.), but he REALLY did not expect to be stuck washing dishes with the restaurant owner's shy cousin, who seemed to be terrified of Sano. Not to mention that some chick named Reiko kept trying to hit on him, while the Megitsune completely ignored him.  
  
He plunged a dish into the soapy water with a sigh, harder than he intended, which resulted in a large splash and yet another squeak from Tsubame.  
  
'Life sucks.'  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
This was hilarious. Megumi didn't know quite WHY she was enjoying seeing Sano suffer as he was, but she was in a better mood than she had all day, so this fox-woman was not about to ruin it. However she found herself inexplicably angry whenever Reiko sauntered over and started to flirt with rooster-head. Eh. Everything that woman did got on Megumi's nerves, and she really didn't have a reason to be angry. After all, she'd only met Sagara-san the night before... 'Sanosuke.', she reminded herself as she glanced into the kitchen where Sano and Tsubame were working on the dishes. 'He told you to call him Sanosuke.'   
  
Tsubame squeaked as the man next to her dropped a plate into the sink with unnecessary force, and soap and water went everywhere. The fox-woman raised a hand to her mouth and laughed quietly, eyes gleaming mischievously as fox ears appeared on her head.  
  
'Life is good.'  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Eh. A little shorter than last chapter, but pretty good I'd say. At least I hope. Or something. Waaaiiii! Megumi beginning to like Sano-kun already? We can only hope! ^..^ Ah. Poor Sano, I keep doing mean things to him! But he puts up with it so well! * v *  
  
REVIEW MORTAL FOOLS! REVIEW I SAY!!! *maniacal laughter* *cough hack* *laughs more* *stops.* Um. Yeah. I had a bit too much caffeine today... But please do review! But no flames! I'm highly allergic.  
  
Next Chapter - Two: Fox in the Henhouse  
  
In which Megumi gets some phone numbers mixed up, and ends up in an uncomfortable situation. 


	3. THREE Fox in the Henhouse

BWAHAHA! I'm back! Yay! With a lot of homework to do that was due on Thursday! HURRAY! Oh well! Mr. Barth lets us turn our Geometry in late anyway...  
  
Well... less rambling than usual today! Instead, I have... *dramatic music* REVIEWER RESPONSES!  
  
--mushi-azn -Yay! You reviewed twice! Really? I write them well? Hoorah! I hope you like this chapter too!  
  
--Aislinn6 -Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
--SM -*edges away slightly* Um. I appreciate your enthusiasm? And no, unfortunately, there won't be. ^^" I can't write lemons... ^^" Hope you enjoy the story!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Double Negative  
  
Chapter Three: Fox in the Henhouse  
  
'Oh no oh no oh no...', Megumi thought frantically as she turned the key to the door of her small apartment. Hearing it click, she yanked the key out, and pushed the door in. As soon as she'd dumped her things on the nearest available chair, Megumi dashed to the phone, and grabbed the address book sitting next to it. "Where did I write it....where is it...", she worried out loud, turning pages until she glimpsed the name of her agent. Placing her finger near the spot, the fox woman picked up the receiver, looked down at the page, and dialed. 'WHY did I ever try out... I should have KNOWN that I can't handle two jobs at once... I should have a high paying FULL TIME JOB at the local HOSPITAL right now, but nooooo.... I had to get kicked out of college thanks to that no-good son of a...' her inner tirade was halted due to the ringing on the other end.  
  
"Hello?", a masculine voice on the other end responded after they picked up.  
  
Megumi took a deep breath and began talking as fast as she could, "Hi. Suzukawa-san? It's Takani Megumi. I just wanted to tell you that I'm REALLY SORRY, but I can't be in the photo shoot, since I just had a shift at the Akabeko rescheduled to that night, and I've missed too much time from work so if I don't show up I might get fired, and you KNOW how I need the money from my other job and-"  
  
"Megumi?", the voice interrupted. "You know, if you wanted to ask me out, you could've just said so. You didn't need to think up an elaborate plan to figure out a way to call me without seeming desperate."  
  
The woman paled then turned a bright red. She recognized that voice, and it was most definitely NOT that of her modeling agent. "Saga- Sanosuke?!", she sputtered, momentarily caught off balance. "Wh- I- That's not-", the fox woman looked down at her address book and remembered that she'd written his phone number beneath that of her boss. Immediately she resolved to tear that part of the page out, rip it up, burn it, and scatter it to the four corners of the earth...as soon as she got herself out of this mess...  
  
"Yeah that's me. Now, now, don't be shy, how does Friday at eight sound?", Megumi could imagine the rooster-head's smirk as he asked this. And Megumi hated to be smirked at, even though she did it to everyone she saw. So she took a deep breath and composed herself. Megumi always had to have the upper hand.  
  
"When you graduate Harvard, toori-atama. Anyway, this was just a wrong number, so if you'd excuse me, I have to go call someone.", 'There we go.', she thought both relieved and satisfied. 'Finally a grammatically correct answer.'  
  
"Hey, it's not as impossible as it sounds Megitsune. But really, how does Friday at eight sound?", Megumi mentally smacked herself in the head. The man was insufferable. But she didn't have time for this.  
  
"How does tomorrow after work outside of the Akabeko for ten minutes sound? As long as you'll let me hang up, I really need to call someone.", she hated the way her voice turned pleading at the end of that sentence, but every second was another she had to wait before breaking the bad news to her agent.  
  
"Sure! Anything you want Megitsune.", Honestly. She could feel his self-satisfied grin through the telephone wires. 'One word.", Megumi thought sardonically, 'Desperate.'  
  
"Yeah. Okay. Bye. Oh- and, Sanosuke?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Don't call me that."  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
Click.  
  
Sano hung up the phone, still grinning. Finally, he'd talked to her and sounded like a normal human being. He'd even asked her out! Okay, it was only ten minutes after work, but a guy has to start somewhere, you know? Now it was time to try and win her over. 'Let's see here... How to get a woman like the Megitsune to fall in love with me...', the rooster-haired young man frowned to himself.  
  
Give her flowers? No, this wasn't even a real date...  
  
Compliment her on how pretty she was? Nah, he'd probably end up saying somethig perverted automatically...  
  
Say she had a nice outfit? No, she would be wearing the standard striped kimono that all of the Akabeko's waitresses had to wear...  
  
Huh. This was going to be harder than it sounded. So Sano thought harder.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
"I got nothin'.", he announced. "HEY, KATSU!", he shouted.  
  
"What do you want, idiot?", his long-haired friend came in after a moment, frowning. Sano noted the paintbrush in his hand and drops of green paint on his jeans.  
  
"Oh. Sorry, jerk. Were you busy painting?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Hm. Oh well. Anyway, Katsu. Can you help me?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It has nothing to do with money I promise! At least...not yet..."  
  
"... No."  
  
"Come on, man! All I need is for you to help me figure out how to get that hot woman from my job to like me!", Sano pleaded.  
  
"Would. Can't.", Katsu replied.  
  
"Why the heck not?!"  
  
"Trust me man, you're way beyond help in the romance area.", and with that he left to go back to his artwork.  
  
"Some friend you are...", Sanosuke grumbled, reaching inside his pocket to pull out his trusty, not to mention not-very-hygienic, fishbone. Sticking it in his teeth, he sighed to himself and prepared himself for a long night of thinking.  
  
'This feels like high school all over again...'  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Well. Sano is a flirt. Isn't it annoying how characters just run rampant on you? But the chapter length was pretty good this time! The Sano-Katsu conversation was pur of the moment, but I think it turned out pretty good. Actually all of this was spur of the moment...I just can't work from an outline...  
  
Next chapter of this and my other story will be out soon!  
  
Review please! Flames will be used to burn my evil Math homework! (Reviewers get to see Sano do the chicken dance!)  
  
Ja! ^_^  
  
Next Chapter - Four: Temporary Bliss  
  
In which the two have their ten-minute "date". 


	4. FOUR Temporary Bliss

S.I.: *whimpers*  
  
Sano: What's wrong with her?  
  
S.I.: So...many.. BUGS!!!  
  
Megumi: Her mom made her help with the "gardening"  
  
Sano: Oh. S.I.'s a wimp.  
  
Megumi: Yup. She's afraid of butterflies.  
  
S.I.: I heard that! I just think that they're gross little hideous flying beasts. Traumatic childhood experiences... *sighs* Anyway... NOOOOO! EASTER BREAK IS ALMOST OVER!!!!! *falls over*  
  
*runs from Crystal of Dark's evil army of bunnies* BWA! I meant to update a week ago, but I've been on an Inuyasha kick. I've got, like, seven other fics started right now, not to mention the Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl and Yugioh ones with my cousin... -_- .... Well, here's the Reviewer responses and then the story!!!  
  
Mushi azn: YAY! You reviewed again! You love my story? *goes starry eyed* I'll try to update faster!  
  
Reves: You think I portray them well? YAY!!!! *celebrates*  
  
Crystal of Dark: YAY! I've been added to a favorite stories list! And you think my fic's good! HUZZAH!  
  
And as promised, for the reviewers, HERE'S SANO WITH THE CHICKEN DANCE!!!!!  
  
*that really annoying music starts to play and Megumi shoves Sano over in a chicken suit*  
  
Sano: Do I really have to do this?  
  
S.I.: YES!!!  
  
Sano: *sighs* Never give her sugar.... *gives up and starts dancing, flapping his arms and such*  
  
Megumi: *in hysterics* Oh this is great... *takes pictures*  
  
S.I.: Okay. Here's the magical story!!!  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Double Negative  
  
Chapter Four: Temporary Bliss  
  
Megumi pushed up the sleeve of her kimono and looked at her watch ... again. Inwardly she sighed; only five more minutes to go. The past five minutes had been filled with alternating akward pauses and half-hearted attempts at conversation.   
  
"So... um.. nice weather?", Sano put forward hopefully. Megumi nearly smacked herself in the forehead in exasperation. She glanced up at the black sky. Although it was a clear night, you couldn't even see the stars due to all of the city lights around them.   
  
"Yes. It's very nice weather." It was the rooster-head's turn to be exasperated. She had answered all of his conversation-starters with such definitive statements. 'Why can't she just disagree?! Or something! Grr...'  
  
Two minutes later found them still standing outside the Akabeko just staring at each other. Neither had blinked in quite a while.   
  
"I'm gonna win this.", Sano said.  
  
"I wasn't aware that we were playing anything.", responded the fox-woman, raising an elegant eyebrow but still not blinking.   
  
"Then why won't you blink?"  
  
"Then why don't you?"  
  
"So you've been paying attention to whether I've blinked or not?", Sano countered.  
  
"You've been watching to see if I blink."  
  
"That's because you weren't blinking!"  
  
"You know this is going nowhere really fast.", Megumi told him.  
  
"You're right.", Sano blinked. "DANG IT!!!!"  
  
Megumi burst out laughing her traditional fox-laugh as the rooster hit himself on the head in frustration. "I win!", she taunted him.  
  
"I thought we weren't playing anything." Sano mocked good-naturedly.  
  
"Whatever toori-atama.", the fox-woman said, looking at her watch. "I'm going to go change now."  
  
"Eh. Whatever.", Sanosuke replied. "I'll walk you home. It's on my way."  
  
"You know where I live?", Megumi gave him a 'get-away-from-me-you-creepy-stalker!' look.  
  
"Actually....no. I'm just guessing that it's on my way."  
  
"Typical.", she rolled her eyes at him and went back into the restaurant to change into her regular clothes.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?", he called at her retreating back. He sighed and sat down on a nearby bench, after picking a newspaper off of it. About to throw it away, he glanced at the front of it. "Hm. Some drug dealer and murderer got broken out of jail and is now at large. But what's the bad news?", he joked, reading through the article curiously. "Ah. Whatever. It doesn't concern me.", Sano said sitting the paper down, his gaze lingering on the picture of the man above the article. It was of a smirking thin-faced man in a pinstriped business suit, small glasses perched on his nose. He looked at the caption beneath it.  
  
/Kanryuu Takeda (above), was expelled from his prestigious medical college shortly before his arrest three years ago. He was sentenced to a lifetime in prison before his recent escape. /  
  
"Still out here, rooster-head?", Sano looked up to see a disdainful Megumi. She looked at the newspaper next to him. "What's tha-" the young woman stopped, staring at the picture on the front page as if she was seeing a ghost.   
  
He had only to look at Megumi's suddenly white face to know that something was very, very wrong. ((A/N: No, really?)) "Megitsune. Megumi, what is it?", he asked her seriously.   
  
She just looked blankly back at him, shaking her head slightly as if to tell him nothing was wrong, and fainted.  
  
"Wha-?", Sano leaped up and caught her. He looked around at the empty street. He looked down at the fox-woman. "Okay. A little help here?"  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hmm.. That was a bit short. BUT THE NEXT CHAPTER SHALL BE MUCH LONGER!!! BWAHAHA! *stops laughing* Anyway...  
  
Yay! A mini-cliffie!   
  
Sano: Great. Now I'm stuck with an unconcious woman in my arms... COOL!  
  
S.I.: *whaps him over the head*  
  
Megumi: You'd better not drop me, you jerk.  
  
S.I.: *sweatdrops as they start arguing* Anyway..... REVIEW!!! REVIEWS MAKE THE SUN COME UP!!!!!  
  
Next chapter:  
  
Double Negative- Chapter Five: Guessing games  
  
-In which Sano tries to find out why Megumi fainted at the site of Kanryuu (goodness knows he's ugly enough....), and he tells her something about his past. 


	5. FIVE Guessing Games

HA! IN YOUR FACE, IMPATIENT REVIEWERS! I've spent several hours writing and UPDATED REALLY FAST! *dances triumphantly* Now I won't get bitten! lol!  
  
And...*drumroll please* You get to find out Megumi's past! YAY! And next chapter... SANO'S PAST! BWAHAHA!!!   
  
Hmm... I'll do reviewer responses next chapter, so you don't have to listen to/read my insane babblings for too long. ^_^   
  
Hmm... There are flashbacks/dream sequences in this chapter, as well as 'newspaper excerpts', like last chapter. Here's a handy guide, since I still can't figure out italics and bold... T_T*  
  
/excerpt/  
  
*flashback/dream*  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Double Negative  
  
Chapter Five: Guessing Games  
  
  
  
** "Ah, Megumi-san, there you are.", the eighteen-year-old college freshman turned around.  
  
"Oh. Kanryuu. it's you.", she said disdainfully.  
  
"I just wanted to congratulate you on getting a perfect score on your exams...again.", the young man pushed his glasses furthur up on his nose.  
  
"Oh. Thank you, then. And just how did you do on your exams?", Megumi asked him innocently, although they both knew that she knew what he had gotten.  
  
"Eh, I didn't do so well.", he said lightly, but Megumi could hear the bitterness and anger behind the statement. She smirked to herself, baiting her rival was one of her favorite activities.  
  
"No really, I think I heard you got, what? A seventy-two percent average?"  
  
He forced a smile. "Seventy-one, actually."  
  
"Ohohohoho! Same difference, ne?", Megumi's fox ears had popped up again as she laughed, hand to her mouth. Kanryuu dropped the smile and glared at her. "Well, I must be going now.", she told him, grinning. "Shouldn't you be studying? I heard you have a test next week! Wouldn't want to do badly would we?" The young woman left, laughing to herself, not noticing the hate filled look the temperamental Kanryuu Takeda was giving her.  
  
"You'll be sorry.", her hissed at her retreating back. "No one laughs at me!" **  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
Sano looked worriedly down at the woman lying on the bench. "What made you react like that, Megitsune?", he wondered out loud.  
  
"Sagara-san?", he turned around. Tsubame stood there hesitantly, holding a damp cloth. "Tae-san told me that this might help Megumi-san.", she said, stepping forward and placing the cloth on Megumi's forehead. "I have to go back in now, Tae-san said to tell her when she wakes up!", and with that she beat a hasty retreat into the restaurant. She stuck her head out the door again, "Oh, and she also said that if you wanted to bring Megumi-san inside, you can. She might be more comfortable there.  
  
"Nah, we're fine out here.", Sano answered her. "But you can tell Tae-", he turned around only to find that Tsubame had left already. "That girl...", he muttered to himself; Tsubame's shyness irked him. He sighed and looked down at Megumi again. "Okay... you can wake up any minute now..."  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
** "What?!", Megumi gaped at the headmaster. "Kanryuu told you what?!"  
  
"Just what I said, Takani-san. He accused of selling illegal drugs to people outside of campus.", the elderly man looked at her seriously.   
  
"But I didn't-"  
  
He cut her off. "I'd like to believe Takani-san, but there's too much proof against you. Several people in the nearby neighborhoods have died or been sent to the hospital due to an overdose on drugs. You were seen near their homes on the day they fell ill. And no one can deny that you don't have an exceptional interest in those fields of study."  
  
"My cousin died of a drug overdose! I wanted to learn how to save people in those situations!", Megumi protested.  
  
"Megumi.", the headmaster said. "I'm sorry. But the police are already on their way. I suggest you call your lawyer, and we can hopefully get this straightened out."  
  
She left his office, horrified. "This is all Kanryuu's doing!", she cried angrily when she was out of earshot. **  
  
  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
Sano sighed again. Was it normal for people who fainted to take this long to wake up?, he wondered. He picked up the newspaper, which has fallen to the ground. He started to reread the article, hoping it would give him a clue to Megumi's reaction.   
  
/ Before he was convicted of drug dealing, Kanryuu was arrested on two counts of homicide. The later victim, Akiyama Yamato, was a student at Kanryuu's medical college. Reportedly, Akiyama had been receiving the best grades since Takani Megumi, who was expelled a few months before Kanryuu's arrest in a seperate drug dealing scandal.../  
  
Sano stopped there. "...the best grades since Takani Megumi?!", he gasped. "How did I miss that before?!" He read on.  
  
  
  
/ ...Other students said that Kanryuu had shown signs of "extreme jealousy" towards Akiyama, and had threatened him several times before he he pulled a gun on him and shot him twice, in the midst of a party thrown by a fellow classmate. An accomplice of his was also arrested, who confessed to have aided Kanryuu in the murder of Kimura Hanako, a previously unsolved case./  
  
"Tch. No wonder she fainted.", Sano murmured to himself. "But it's not like he tried to kill her, right? And what's the whole deal with being expelled from college because of a 'drug scandal'?" He glanced quickly at Megumi as she stirred slightly. "Well? Are you going to wake up this time?", he asked her.  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
** Megumi sat in her dorm room, holding an half-empty styrofoam coffee cup in trembling hands, waiting for her lawyer to speak.  
  
"Good news and bad news, Takani-san!", he told her. "Good news first. There wasn't enough evidence to incriminate you."  
  
"Thank God.", she murmured.  
  
"But, since you are still under suspicion, the headmaster ... well, he expelled you."  
  
"Thanks for putting it so bluntly.", Megumi said sarcastically as he left, hastily blinking away sudden tears. She really had to reason to be so disappointed, she mused sadly, it was only to be expected. But she had every reason to cry!, she thought with sudden anger, it wasn't like she'd been convicted! And what would happen to her now? The last of the famous Takani line, expelled from college for selling drugs. It was almost funny, really. "Yeah, really funny!", she spat at no one in particular. "Hilarious!", she managed to get all the way to her bed before she burst into tears. **  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
Megumi opened her eyes confusedly, the echoes of her own sobs still filling her head. "Wha-?", she started, sitting up, a damp cloth sliding off of her forehead. she picked it up bemusedly.  
  
"Good, you're finally awake!", she looked at the speaker.  
  
"Sano? What happened? And why am I laying on a bench outside of the Akabeko?", the fox-woman asked, looking around.  
  
"Well you were in the middle of insulting me and then you looked at the newspaper and fainted. And I've been sitting out here with you for the past, oh, twenty minutes or so.", he gave her the short version.  
  
"Oh.", suddenly she remembered. 'Newspaper...Kanryuu! He's back!', as soon as the thought struck her she paled again, and laid back down.  
  
"Whoa! Don't go and faint on me again!!", cried an alarmed rooster-head.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm fine.", she told him breathlessly.  
  
"I don't believe you.", Sano said. "Who is this Kanryuu? And did you know that you're mentioned in this article?"  
  
"I am?!", she snatched it from his grasp.  
  
"Right here.", he pointed to the spot.  
  
Megumi read it through quickly, and laughed sardonically. "Of course they have to mention that I wa expelled. They always forget that I was never convicted..."  
  
"And I wanted to ask you about that...", Sanosuke frowned at her. Megumi ignored him.  
  
"I need a cup of coffee...", she said to herself.  
  
"Well there's a new cafe that opened up a few blocks from here.", he offered, planning to ask her about the article once they got there.  
  
"Why not?', she sighed. Sano offered her his arm and helped her up. He called into the door of the Akabeko that Megumi was alright and they set off.  
  
^..^ + * v *  
  
"That's better.", Megumi sighed again as she took a sip of coffee.   
  
"Funny. I didn't think you'd be a caffeine addict.", Sano remarked looking around at the empty cafe. It was late enough that they were the only ones in there, but the place wasn't closed yet. "Anyway... about what they said about you in the article..."  
  
Megumi was silent for a while, occasionally taking a drink from her styrofoam cup. She looked at it wryly, remembering the dream she'd had. Sitting it down on the small table she put her head in her hands. "I might as well tell someone.", she laughed to herself. "It has been building up for a while."  
  
"What has?"  
  
She took a deep breath. "When I got out of high school, " she began, "I was accepted into the best medical college in the country. It was no surprise, really. I am a Takani after all; I come from a long line of world-class surgeons and doctors.   
  
"There was a young man there by name of Kanryuu Takeda. He came from a rich business-oriented family, and wasn't very bright. Everyone knew he'd bought his way in. He was always jealous of the way that I breezeed through all of my classes.", she smiled a little in remembrance. "One day after exams he came and 'congratulated' me for doing well on them - all for show, of course. I taunted him because he'd nearly failed. When I was walking away I heard him threaten me. Later that month he framed me for selling illegal drugs to several people in nearby neighborhoods. Thankfully he hadn't set up enough evidence to get me convicted. unfortunately all of the people died before they could deny that I sold anything to them. But since I was still a suspect the headmaster of my college expelled me. Since then no one else will accept me. So that's how I ended up here, working a job at the Akabeko and modeling part-time. But right before he was arrested, it was about a year after my expulsion, he came to my apartment. He was very angry about something. I think he was still bitter that he hadn't won. I couldn't help taunting him about that, getting him angry always amused me. He attacked me then, but another man showed up and stopped him. I never ound out who he was, but I suppose if he was with Kanryuu he wasn't anyone good. I remember he had really piercing eyes though, and this perfect poker face. So he left, but he told me that he'd come after me again.", Megumi' had kept her voice calm until now. "Then he got arrested, and I thought I was safe. But now he's back."  
  
Sano could hear the fear in her voice; she was obviously terrified of Kanryuu. "Well," he started, "At least you aren't alone up against him this time." She looked at him, confused. "You've got me!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
YAY! And it was a lot longer than last chapter too!!! Although the summary of this from last chapter is wrong now...  
  
hmm, lessee.... REVIEW!!!! And I think that's all... ((By the way, can you guess who the guy with Kanryuu at the end was? It's actually pretty easy. ^_^))  
  
Next chapter:  
  
Double Negative- Chapter Six: The trials of youth  
  
-In which Sano really tells Megumi about his past, and they both angst a little, and .. uh... other stuff happens. 


End file.
